Crane, the Outcast
by KidatHeart5
Summary: This was my idea of an episode for a "Kung Fu Panda" TV series, but I was beaten to it. Besides, the creators have much more creative ideas than I do. Anyway, this is about Crane's anniversary of joining the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy, but due to a misunderstanding, he leaves the Jade Palace and joins the Martial Arts Warriors.
1. Chapter 1

(in Crane's bedroom, Crane snores, rooster crows)

Crane: (yawns, gasps, looks at calendar) (gasps) Oh, yeah! Today's the anniversary of passing the test at the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy...20 years ago! (flashback) (flashback ends) (voice cracking) Yeah. (sniffles, wipes tear from eye) I remember that day like no ordinary day. (hears bell ring) Oh! Got to get going to breakfast! I can't wait to tell them about today! (closes door, opens door) Oh! I forgot my hat. (puts on hat) There. (closes door excitedly) (in dinner hall, Crane flies excitedly towards table) Incoming! (bumps table)

Mantis: Hey! Watch where you're going, Crane!

Master Shifu: Crane, would you not fly to the table please?

Crane: (happily) Oh, I am sorry, Master Shifu. But, you see, there's something today that I want to celebrate.

Master Shifu: Yes, and what might that be?

Crane: Well, it's a very important day for me. It's...well...it's...okay, I'll tell you! I can't hold in any longer! It's the day that I passed the try-outs at the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy!

Company: (gasp)

Crane: (confused) What? What's wrong?

Company: (all talk at once)

Po: Be right there. (Company duck their heads under table)

Crane: Wha-

(under table)

Viper: (whispering) He knows all about the surprise party!

Mantis: (whispering) What should we do?

Master Shifu: (whispering, points up finger) I have an idea.

Crane: (from above) Guys? (Company gasp)

(on surface)

Crane: What's going on?

Company: (bump heads under table) Oh! Ow! Ouch!

Crane: (grimace) Ooh, that's got to hurt.

Company: (all rise from under table, rubbing heads)

Crane: Are you guys all right?

Po: Ha! Never felt better!

Crane: So, anyway, why don't we all throw a party in honor of my very special day?

Viper: (gulps)

Po: (thinking) Oh, think of something, Po! Think, think! (speaking) Oh! Uh...ha! Who cares about a silly academy anyway?

Crane: Well, for your information, it was a very special academy I went to! Besides, May Ling was the best of the best...and also my best friend.

Monkey: Oh...um...now you care about your best friend more than us now?

Crane: (voice breaking) No, that's not true! I mean...I...Oh! Who cares anyway? If you guys don't call it a special...day...(sniffles) then...I guess...(tears well up) Oh! I can't stand it anymore! Goodbye! (flies out crying)

Viper: Oh, no. I think we hurt the guy's feelings.

Monkey: And mind telling me who did it in the first place? (all stare at Po)

Po: Why is everyone staring at me for?


	2. Chapter 2

(nighttime, Crane's bedroom, Crane packs stuff into pack)

Crane: (sniffles) If...if nobody cares about today, then...then I guess I...I should go. (cries) (holds up picture of May Ling and him) (sighs, dries eye) I'm so sorry, May Ling. (puts picture in pack) (tiptoes out of room) (goes outside, sighs, puts on hat, looks back, tears fill in eyes) I'm so sorry, guys. (flies away, cries) (Viper looks out)

Viper: No. (runs to hall) Guys?

(in village, Crane flies above) (he suddenly sees something red and gold)

Crane: Huh? (flies down, reads flier) "If you want to learn kung fu, then join the Martial Arts Warriors!" Hmm. Sounds like a good group who would appreciate me and would want to celebrate my testing at the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy. Well, so long, Furious Five! Hello, Martial Arts Warriors! Yeah! (screen focuses on bottom of flier reading, "Tall and muscular animals only!")


	3. Chapter 3

(in Po's room, the rest of the masters gather around for Viper's speech)

Viper: And-and-and he flew away. Away from the palace! Guys, he actually ran away!

Mantis: Oh, you and your big mouth, Po.

Po: What? I thought of something to get his mind of the party, which he didn't know.

Viper: Yeah, but not in a mean way.

Tigress: And now Crane's run away from the Jade Palace all because of you.

Master Shifu: Would you all quit it?! (comes in from door) You all need to stop fighting and start looking for him. Otherwise, you would not be the Furious Five anymore. Instead, you would be all the Furious Four! Am I clear? (Furious Four and Po all nod) Now, although Po tried his best to get Crane's mind off the party, it was partly his fault.

Po: Oh, thank-Hey! It was not all my fault, okay? So he went away for a little while. I mean, where could he go that's more important than here in the Jade Palace?


	4. Chapter 4

(next day, outside the Martial Arts Warriors training center, fighting and grunting inside)

Crane: Wow! (sets down pack, reads sign aloud) "Welcome to the Martial Arts Warriors Academy, where all of you animals are welcome." Wow! It's bigger than I imagined! (giggles, knocks on door)

Teacher: (from behind door) Who is it?

Crane: It's Crane. Listen, I want to enroll in your school because certain friends of mine would not celebrate with me and-

Teacher: (from behind door) Are you Crane, one of the members of the Furious Five, that...skinny guy?

Crane: (eyelids drop, unamused, groans, crosses wings) (lowly) Yes.

Teacher: (opens door to reveal himself as a crocodile)

Crane: (gasps)

Teacher: My name is Sea-Hong. I am your martial arts teacher. You know, your dad was here-

Crane: Really?

Sea-Hong: as the janitor.

Crane: Oh.

Sea-Hong: But I'm sure your dad would be proud of you to become one of my students.

Crane: Oh. So, did he become one of your students when he tried out for the school?

Sea-Hong: Nope. I'm afraid not, kid, because he...well, never tried out.

Crane: (quietly) Oh. Okay. Fine. It's fine. (thinking) Oh, great. There I go again with the "fine" thing.

Sea-Hong: Come. Welcome to the Martial Arts Warriors Academy. (both step inside to look at students training)

Crane: (eyes wide open) Whoa!

All students: (stop training and all stare at Crane)

Crane: Er...um...h-hi, everybody. (chuckles nervously) I...I came here to...to join...you...in the, um...M-martial Arts Warriors. So, I'm glad to meet you all. (chuckles nervously)

Student #1: (whispers to Sea-Hong) Master, what is a scrawny crane like him doing here?

Sea-Hong: (whispers back) Don't worry. I'll take care of this so-called kung fu warrior. (to Crane) Uh, listen, kid, how about you do us a little favor by becoming a janitor as level one, like they do here.

Crane: (happily) Oh, really. I was janitor myself back at the Lee Da Kung Fu Academy. (chuckles)

Sea-Hong: Well, kid, you might want to consider lucky to be a janitor...(snaps fingers, student hands him broom)in order to train. (hands Crane broom)

Crane: Oh, boy! I'll get sweeping and kung fu fighting at the same time! Whoo-hoo! (sweeps with broom)


	5. Chapter 5

(at the Jade Palace training field at noon, table is set for the anniversary party) (Po, Mantis, and Viper set out party equipment)

Po: Oh, boy! When Crane sees this, he is sure to understand that it was a misunderstanding yesterday!

Mantis: Uh, hello? You started it.

Viper: Now, boys, let's not start that again. (door opens) (Monkey and Tigress appear solemnly)

Tigress: We can't find him.

Po: What?

Monkey: We looked everywhere, but he wasn't anywhere to be seen. (hears hammering on door, looks on other side, sees pig hammering flier on door) Hey! What's going on?

Pig: Well, I'm hammering this flier on the door.

Monkey: I don't think Master Shifu would approve.

Pig: Oh! I'm so sorry. (grabs flier and gives it to Monkey) Here. I'm so sorry of the inconvenience, Master Monkey. (runs down to village)

Monkey: (reads flier) "If you want to learn kung fu, then join the Martial Arts Warriors!"

Mantis: So, that's where Crane would go.

Viper: But, wait. There's more.

Monkey: (resumes reading flier) "Tall and muscular animals only!"

Tigress: Then Crane would definitely not go there...would he?

Monkey: Well, it said, "Tall and muscular animals only!"

Po: Unless...

Master Shifu: Unless he didn't read the rest of the sign. Then, he only looked at it once and never read the bottom.

Viper: Then, we're sending one male to retrieve him: Mantis.

Mantis: Hey, why do I gotta go? You should send Viper, too, you know!

Viper: (groans) Okay, okay. I'll go, too. (Mantis and her exit Jade Palace and descend down steps) (to Mantis) You owe me big!

Mantis: (chuckles nervously)

(raining at the Martial Arts Warriors Academy, inside meeting headquarters) (Sea-Hong and 3 students hold meeting)

Sea-Hong: I mean, we can't keep this scrawny fellow. I mean-

1st Student(female): He has to go.

2nd Student(male): Right. Didn't the rule say that this school is only for tall and muscular animals?

Sea-Hong: Yes, so we have to break it to him at morning.

Crane: (opens door to make him room for his sweeping, smiling) Break what to me at morning?

Sea-Hong: Er...the Stick of Passing, of course.

Crane: Oh, I see. Well, sorry I interrupted this meeting. Sorry. Bye. (closes door)

Sea-Hong: (sighs) I guess there is one thing we can do: throw him out.

Students: (quietly cheer)


	6. Chapter 6

(morning at the Martial Arts Warriors, still raining, Crane enters wet training field in front of Sea-Hong and students)

Sea-Hong: Crane, hand in your broom.

Crane: (smiles, gasps) Sea-Hong, does that mean I passed? (hands in broom)

Sea-Hong: Not exactly. (snaps finger, points to Crane, students pick up Crane) It means-(student opens door)-you're out. (students throw him out)

Crane: (gasps, yells) (students shut door) (looks at flier on door) (reads aloud) "Tall and muscular animals only!" Oh, man! How could have I known? They don't want me because I'm skinny! (voice breaking) I'm not wanted anywhere else. (sighs, sits down) Now what? I can't go home. I can't go back there. Where can I go? (covers eyes with one wing) I'm all...alone. (cries softly) Oh, somebody take me in! (cries harder) (Mantis and Viper appear)

Mantis: Crane?

Crane: (stops crying, looks at them with teary eyes) Oh, Mantis! Viper! (hugs them) Am I glad to see you!

Mantis: You don't look glad to me.

Crane: (sighs deeply, sniffles) That's because I thought the Martial Arts Warriors would take me in from what happened two days ago, (chokes) but-I was wrong! (cries)

Mantis: There, there. I'm sure Po didn't mean it.

Crane: (dries eyes) How-how can you be so sure?

Viper: Come. Let's go home. (Viper and Mantis climb aboard Crane)

Crane: I'm still a little saddened, so my flying may not be as good. And I'll try my best in this rain. (stands up) And here we go! (flies back to the Jade Palace)

(afternoon at Jade Palace, sunny, Crane lands near doors to training field) (Viper and Mantis get off him)

Viper: (her and Mantis grab handles of door) Crane, close your eyes.

Crane: (covers eye with wings) All right. They're closed.

Viper: (her and Mantis open doors) And open!

Crane: (opens eyes, surprised look)

Company: Surprise! Happy anniversary, Crane!

Crane: Oh, you guys! (hugs Po) Now, I know you didn't mean it! Oh, thank you!

Po: (happily) Don't mention it.

Crane: (laughs) I know, "Ever." You copied that from me, didn't you?

Po: (laughs) Right.

Crane: Po, I'm so sorry for what I thought earlier. I thought you thought that it wasn't all that special.

Po: Hey, I had no idea how special it was to you, so I thought it up to cover up the surprise party.

Crane: (smiles, teary-eyed) Oh, Po! (sniffles) Could you forgive me?

Po: Yep.

Crane: Thank you, Po. Thank you. (hugs Po)


	7. Chapter 7

(nighttime in dining hall, Po serves dinner)

Monkey: I say, that was one emotional party, huh, Tigress?

Mantis: Hey! Where is the party boy?

Tigress: He's outside feeling ashamed for thinking about Po the wrong way.

Po: Maybe I should cheer him up. (goes outside of dining hall)

(outside, Crane sits all alone on top staircase of second set of stairs)

Crane: (sighs, sniffles, dries eyes, and wipes nose)

Po: (approaches Crane) Hey, buddy.

Crane: (turns around, gasps)

Po: (sits down beside Crane) I thought we apologized at the party.

Crane: I know. It's just that I still feel guilty about two days ago.

Po: Aw, cheer up. (pats him on back) I'm not mad at you, although others were mad at me, and I forgive you.

Crane: That's great, Po, but now I need to get the rest of the saddies out.

Po: And I know just the thing. (grabs Crane's wing) C'mon.

(inside dining hall)

Crane: (bawling, tears fall out of eyes quickly)

Po: Nothing makes you cry more than heavily-scented onions.

Monkey: Po, I think you found some entertainment. (chuckles, iris out)

The End


End file.
